The invention relates generally to agricultural equipment, and more specifically, to a sprayer boom having an aligned mast and center section.
Various types of agricultural vehicles (e.g., sprayers, floaters, applicators, etc.) are employed to deliver fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, or other products to the surface of a field. Such agricultural vehicles typically include a boom configured to facilitate product delivery over wide swaths of soil. In certain configurations, the boom is suspended from a rear frame of the vehicle, and extends laterally outward from a center section. In such configurations, the center section is supported by a mast that is coupled to the agricultural vehicle by a linkage assembly. For example, the center section may be positioned behind the mast, and suspended from the mast via a linkage configured to facilitate rotation of the center section relative to the mast. Because the center section is positioned behind the mast, the weight of the boom applies a torque to the mast, the linkage assembly and the rear frame of the vehicle. As a result, the center section, the mast, the linkage assembly and the rear frame may employ stronger structural members and/or additional structural members to resist the torque, thereby increasing the weight of the components. Consequently, larger/more powerful vehicles are employed to accommodate the increased load. Unfortunately, the acquisition and operating costs of the larger/more powerful vehicles significantly increases the overhead associated with crop production. In addition, the increased vehicle load may result in undesirable soil compaction.